Detailed Information about Interactive Map Data

At the bottom of each description is a Details link leading to additional information about the data sets and the
names of DEC staff who can give further information.

Environmental Facilities Information

The Environmental Facilities Interactive Map provides a graphical resource for the residents
of New York to locate information environmental facilities found across the State.

Below you will find information about specific types of facilities. For more detailed information about the data sets or, for contact
information regarding the data sets, click on the details links at the bottom of each.

Water Discharge Sites

The purpose of the State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) Program is to protect
human health and the environment. The SPDES permit program in the Departmentís Division of
Water regulates municipal and industrial wastewater treatment facilities that discharge directly
into navigable waters. Wastewater treatment facilities (also called "point sources") are issued
SPDES permits regulating their discharge. "Point sources" means discrete conveyances such as
pipes or man made ditches. Although individual homes that are connected to a municipal system or
that do not have a surface discharge do not need permits, facilities must obtain permits if their
discharges go directly to surface waters.Water Discharge Site details

The Toxic Release Inventory

The Toxic Release Inventory (TRI)
is a public database of annually reported toxic chemical releases and management from certain manufacturing
or processing facilities. The inventory was established to provide information to the public about the
presence and release of toxic and hazardous chemicals in communities.

Certain manufacturing or processing facilities
that produce, process, or otherwise use a TRI chemical in excess of a certain threshold level must report
TRI information to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and to the state in which the facility is
located. TRI details

Air Emission Sources

The Air Facility System (AFS) contains both emissions
and compliance data on air pollution point sources regulated by the NYSDEC. AFS contains data on industrial
plants and their components: stacks, the points at which emissions are introduced into the atmosphere; points,
the emission point or process within a plant that produce the pollutant emissions; and segments, which are
components of the processes that produce emissions. Compliance data are maintained at the plant and point
levels, tracking classification status, inspections, and compliance actions. AFS also includes data for
management of operating permit applications and renewals.

The information in AFS is used in preparation of
State Implementation Plans (SIP), to track the compliance status of point sources with various regulatory
programs and to report air emissions estimates for pollutants regulated under the Clean Air Act. General
source identification information is maintained, such as name, address, industrial classification,
operating status, and description, as well as descriptive and parametric data on stacks, emission points,
and processes within the facility.Air Emission Source details

Active Solid Waste Management Facilities

The construction and operation of nonhazardous
solid waste facilities in New York State are governed by a set of rules known as Part 360. Many types
of facilities are covered by these rules; the most familiar to the average New Yorker include landfills
(disposal) and transfer stations (collection). These two types of facilities can be broken down into specific
types of landfills and transfer stations. For instance, landfills may be designed to accept only debris from
construction and demolition activities or to dispose of waste from a specific industry, like paper manufacturing
byproducts. Transfer stations categories include facilities that are categorized by size and type of waste. A
small transfer station handles less than 12,000 tons per year, the amount of garbage generated by about 25 people.
A large transfer station operates under different rules and handle more than 12,000 tons per year. Transfer
stations categorized by waste type handle municipal (household) waste, recyclables, or medical waste.

Waste to Energy facilities are also regulated by Part 360. These disposal facilities use garbage as fuel to produce steam and/or electricity which can then be sold to local customers or to power companies. Solid waste facilities are regulated under Part 360
of the New York State Code of Rules and Regulations, Title 6 (6NYCRR Part 360). Solid waste transfer and
disposal facilities include large and small transfer stations, waste-to-energy facilities, and several
types of landfills.Solid Waste Management Facility details

Environmental Remediation Sites

Years ago, many wastes were dumped on the ground, in
rivers, or left out in the open. As a result, thousands of uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites were
created. Some common hazardous waste sites include abandoned warehouses, manufacturing facilities, processing
plants, and landfills. In response to growing concern over health and environmental risks posed by hazardous
waste sites, NY State established the Superfund Program in 1980 to start to clean up these sites. The Superfund
is administered by the NYSDEC and the USEPA.Environmental Remediation Sites details

Water Withdrawal Facilities

The state's waters are used for domestic, municipal, agricultural, commercial, industrial, power,
recreational and other important public purposes. To ensure that our water supply meets present and
future needs, DEC requires a permit for water withdrawals of any purpose having the capacity to
withdraw 100,000 gallons or more per day of surface or groundwater. The law also requires statewide
registration of existing agricultural withdrawals that are greater than 100,000 gpd and major basin
water diversions of greater than 1,000,000 gpd. Furthermore, facilities must file an annual report
with DEC that includes details regarding the water source, the amount of water withdrawn, the use for
which the water is withdrawn, and how the water is returned to the environment.
Water Withdrawal Facilities details

Mineral Resources Information

The Mineral Resources interactive map provides graphical information on more than 32,000
wells and 2,500 mines across the State of New York regulated by the DEC.

The Division of Mineral Resources is responsible for ensuring the environmentally sound, economic development of New
York's non-renewable energy and mineral resources for the benefit of current and future generations. The Division carries out
these responsibilities through administration of the Mined Land Reclamation Law and the Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Law.
Below you will find information about specific types of wells and mines.

Regulated Mines

Under the Mined Land Reclamation Law, the Division regulates approximately 2,500 surface and underground mines in
New York to protect public health, safety and the environment, provide for the management and planning for the use of
non-renewable mineral resources and ensure the reclamation of affected lands. Regulated mines affect approximately 43,000
acres of land for which reclamation is ultimately required. The mining industry in New York produces a wide range of minerals,
including sand and gravel, crushed aggregate, salt and zinc, with an annual value of some $1.5 billion. The Division also maintains
records on over 2,500 mines reclaimed since 1974.

Oil, gas, solution mining, underground natural gas and LPG wells and facilities in New York are regulated under the Oil,
Gas and Solution Mining Law (see ECL Article 23) to protect public health, safety and the environment, to prevent waste and
to protect the rights of resource owners. Deep geothermal, stratigraphic and brine disposal wells are also regulated under the
Law.

Division records indicate that over 70,000 wells have been drilled in New York since the 1860's. The Division has records
on some 34,000 wells in its database. There are approximately 15,000 currently reported wells, which produce some $38 million
of oil and gas and some $100 million of solution salt annually. Nearly nine hundred wells in 25 underground natural gas and
liquefied petroleum gas storage facilities are used to meet peak demands by utilities and end-users.

Underground natural gas and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) storage wells. These wells are used to store natural gas and LPG; some had previously produced natural gas before being converted to underground storage wells.

Solution mining wells. Wells that produce salt. Wells are drilled to underground salt formations; water injected into the wells dissolves the salt, which is brought to the surface.

Other wells. These include stratigraphic, geothermal and brine disposal wells deeper than 500 feet.

Dry holes. These are unsuccessful wells drilled for the above purposes. Department regulations require that they be properly plugged to prevent environmental problems.

Wells of the above types which have been plugged to prevent environmental problems are shown with a symbol variation.
Regulated Wells Site Details.

Background Data Information

In addition to information specific to each map, there are a number of other types of information
common to most maps. These are listed and annotated here.

County and Towns

The County and Towns layers originated in the NYS Department of Transportation (see
acknowledgement). The NYSDEC has made modifications to these layers.

Interstate Highways and State & US Roads

The Interstate Highways and State & US Roads layers were extracted from the NYS Department of Transportation's
(see acknowledgement) County Roads File and Class Roads File which are
part of the NYS GIS Clearinghouse.

Railroads

Public Places

The Public Places layer was composed of data extracted from the Geographic Names Information System
(GNIS) from the NYS Health Department and data from the
NYS Department of Transportation (see acknowledgement).

Local Streets and Local Waters

The Local Streets and Local Waters layers were composed of Census Tiger 2000 Data downloaded from the
Geography Network.

Waterways

The NYSDEC modified data which originated in the US Geological Survey to create the Waterways layer.